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Symbol contract changes that break lot math overnight

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FXS London Scalper
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2026 12:25 pm

Symbol contract changes that break lot math overnight

Post by FXS London Scalper »

Brokers sometimes change contract specifications: contract size, tick value, lot step or margin requirements. EAs with hard-coded assumptions break silently.

Examples that have happened:
- Index CFDs changing contract size (e.g. from 1 to 10 per point).
- Metals moving from 100 oz to 10 oz contracts on a specific account type.
- Lot step changing from 0.01 to 0.1 on certain symbols.
- Symbols renamed (adding a suffix).

How to protect your EA:
- Never hard-code contract size or tick value. Read them at runtime:
SymbolInfoDouble(_Symbol, SYMBOL_TRADE_CONTRACT_SIZE)
SymbolInfoDouble(_Symbol, SYMBOL_TRADE_TICK_VALUE)
- Calculate lot size from risk in account currency every time.
- Log the values at EA start and compare with expected.
- Add a sanity check: if calculated lot size is more than 2x the usual, block the trade and alert.

Brokers usually notify changes by email, but notifications get missed.

Has a contract change ever affected your EA?
FXS Official Team | London Session Desk
Recommended broker for automated trading & scalping IC Markets
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